CONSTIPATION
WHAT CAUSES IT?
HORMONAL ISSUES: Pregnancy hormones cause a general slowing down of your bowels. Specifically, progesterone relaxes smooth muscles throughout the body, which in turn leads to constipation.
CHANGES IN DIET: Very often during pregnancy, you eat differently than before, which can affect your digestion. For example, when you find out you’re pregnant, you may start eating more fibre, and a sudden increase can, in fact, cause constipation. Fibre needs to be increased gradually.
POSITION OF UTERUS AND BABY: Your growing uterus puts pressure on the bowels, making it more difficult to have full bowel movements.
The stress and anxiety that many of us experience during pregnancy can also
